Sex Addiction Counseling

We believe that the solution to sex addiction must include counseling.

Why?  Because the real problem is not the addiction to sex or porn.  The sex addiction was the original "solution" that eventually became a problem.  The real problem is past unresolved emotional trauma that continues to cause problems and pain in the addicts life.  In order to cope and deal with the pain caused by past trauma, the sex addict has "turned off" his real emotions because those emotions are too overwhelming. He uses the sex as a way to suppress and medicate the past emotional abuse and the memories associated with the abuse.  Often, the sex addict can't see how his family was destructive or abusive.  A specialized trained counselor can slowly guide the sex addict through what can be a painful and bewildering process.

Counseling addresses the root cause of sex addiction, which is often unresolved emotional trauma that keeps the sex addict from connecting with other people. It is this trauma that influenced the sex addict into escaping from life and from real relationships. And it is this trauma that needs to be healed in order for the sex addict to regain his or her freedom from the addiction.  Our counseling focuses on helping the sex addict to learn how to cope with life and relationships without fleeing into the imaginary world of porn.  By healing his or her emotional wounds and acknowledging past needs, the sex addict will re-learn to tell fact from fiction and will never be tricked into accepting false love again.  If you want to free yourself from illusions created by sex addiction, you will eventually have to come out of secrecy and talk about it.

At Front Range Counseling Center, we know that it is very difficult for a sex addict to come out of his or her secret life. This is why our counselors create a safe environment that is confidential and allows you to feel comfortable talking about your struggle with sex addiction.  Our counselors believe that the keys to recovery include education, trauma resolution, connecting to other recovering addicts, accountability, and learning to establish balance in all areas of your life.  Our treatment plan has three phases that our counselors use to help the porn addict recover and are as followed:

Phase 1 Treatment

•        Develop the therapeutic relationship
•        Assessment and Treatment Plan
•        Psychoeducation of Sexual Addiction
•        Refer to a 12-Step (SA) program
•        Confront Denial
•        Agree on a Recovery and Relapse Prevention Plan
•        Address health and legal issues

Phase II Treatment

•        Complete 1st Step of 12-step process
•        Agree on abstinence definition
•        Weekly accountability of relapse-prevention plan
•        3- 6 month period of abstinence
•        Group Counseling treatment

Phase III Treatment

•        Complete steps 2-12 of 12-step process
•        Developmental & Family-of-origin issues
•        Experientially process past trauma and shame
•        Multiple addiction assessment (Drugs, Alcohol, Work, etc.)
•        Partner and family involvement
•        Spiritual Issues
•        Career Issues

The good news is that it will take less time to resolve the knot of sex addiction than it took to create it. Still, commitment to the process of healing from sex addiction is required. Without commitment, results may be temporary and a relapse into the life of obsession with sex is very likely.  Your commitment to the process of healing will be rewarded by the continually lessening urge to act out. It will become easier and easier to find other ways to deal with the stresses of life, until one day turning to sex to solve your problems will become unnecessary.

You are beginning one of the most difficult journeys of your life: recovering from sex addiction.  Please understand: recovering from sex addiction is a battle that you must really want to win.  You must be "sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  There are no “half measures” to recovering from sex addiction.  It must be your top priority!  Don’t begin recovery unless you are truly sick of the addiction.

All sex addicts have spent hundreds to thousands of hours feeding their addiction and habituating their brains to sexual compulsive thinking and behaviors.  Sex addicts use sex in the same way an alcoholic uses alcohol.  Sex and lust are used to numb feelings and escape from the painful parts of their lives. The sexual experience becomes mood altering and in time becomes central to the sex addict’s life. 

Recovery requires the sex addict to get into a regular pattern of tough recovery work.  The addict is fighting to change many, many years of conditioning.  Recovery will not occur overnight or even over a couple of weeks.  Sex addiction recovery is a marathon, not a sprint!  Get ready to work!

You will need time set aside every day to complete the many recovery tasks established in this program.  The tasks will only work, if you work them.  Recovering from sex addiction is a change of direction.  Change is never easy!  We believe you can do it!!